As a young woman journeys to a new country, the promise and possibility of her life spills out like the petals of a flower, unfurling into full and glorious bloom. Julia Kwan's film Blossom captures a woman's experience, mirrored and reflected in the natural world. As summer opens into spring, mother and daughter build a life together. The taste and texture of each season, whether the ic...

The immigrant experience lovingly told through animation.

As a young woman journeys to a new country, the promise and possibility of her life spills out like the petals of a flower, unfurling into full and glorious bloom. Julia Kwan's film Blossom captures a woman's experience, mirrored and reflected in the natural world. As summer opens into spring, mother and daughter build a life together. The taste and texture of each season, whether the ice-cream smell of summer, the crisp birch air of autumn, or the warmth of winter dumplings -- are lovingly rendered in animation, sound and image. Throughout the passage of time, the persistence of love endures, as resolute and unchanging as the cycle of the season.

directed by Alison Burns, fl. 1990; produced by Sally Bochner, fl. 1988-2010, National Film Board of Canada (Montréal, QC: National Film Board of Canada, 1995), 12 mins

It's never easy reconciling fairy tales to reality, especially when the reality is, to say the least, complicated. You know things are tough when young people don't expect a good relationship, let alone a perfect one, because as one young woman puts it, "all good things must come to an end." Participants discuss t...

It's never easy reconciling fairy tales to reality, especially when the reality is, to say the least, complicated. You know things are tough when young people don't expect a good relationship, let alone a perfect one, because as one young woman puts it, "all good things must come to an end." Participants discuss their expectations of marriage, homosexual relationships, and how the changing roles (and role models) of men and women have affected ma...It's never easy reconciling fairy tales to reality, especially when the reality is, to say the least, complicated. You know things are tough when young people don't expect a good relationship, let alone a perfect one, because as one young woman puts it, "all good things must come to an end." Participants discuss their expectations of marriage, homosexual relationships, and how the changing roles (and role models) of men and women have affected marital responsibilities.
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This short documentary features Black women active in politics as well as community, labour and feminist organizing. They share their insights and personal testimonies on the double legacy of racism and sexism, linking their personal struggles with the ongoing battle to end systemic discrimination and violence aga...

This short documentary features Black women active in politics as well as community, labour and feminist organizing. They share their insights and personal testimonies on the double legacy of racism and sexism, linking their personal struggles with the ongoing battle to end systemic discrimination and violence against women and people of colour.

directed by Dora Nipp, fl. 1997; produced by Margaret Wong, fl. 1978-1997, National Film Board of Canada (New York, NY: National Film Board of Canada, 1999), 4 hours 3 mins

In 1860, the first Chinese women landed in British Columbia, beginning a trickle of immigration despite a policy of excluding Asian females. While the New World used Chinese men to build the railroads, they were not encouraged to increase and multiply here. Under the Willow Tree tells a remarkable tale of courageo...

In 1860, the first Chinese women landed in British Columbia, beginning a trickle of immigration despite a policy of excluding Asian females. While the New World used Chinese men to build the railroads, they were not encouraged to increase and multiply here. Under the Willow Tree tells a remarkable tale of courageous women who left their families behind in China, knowing they would never see them again. As girls, they faced the heart-wrenching ody...In 1860, the first Chinese women landed in British Columbia, beginning a trickle of immigration despite a policy of excluding Asian females. While the New World used Chinese men to build the railroads, they were not encouraged to increase and multiply here. Under the Willow Tree tells a remarkable tale of courageous women who left their families behind in China, knowing they would never see them again. As girls, they faced the heart-wrenching odyssey of being shipped off to the New World to marry men they had never met. As women, they fought against the many forms of racism, while challenging sexism within their own community. By passing on language, culture, and values to their children, these women helped define what it means to be Chinese in the New World. Beautiful old photographs combine with the recollections of seven women who grew up in Canada in the first part of the twentieth century to produce a testament to the strength, resourcefulness and dignity of their forebears.
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An intimate portrait of a fiercely determined survivor, Donna's Story profiles a Cree woman who left behind a bleak existence on the streets. She has re-emerged as a powerful voice counselling Aboriginal adults and youth about abuse and addiction. Donna Gamble was raised in foster homes, addicted to drugs and caug...

An intimate portrait of a fiercely determined survivor, Donna's Story profiles a Cree woman who left behind a bleak existence on the streets. She has re-emerged as a powerful voice counselling Aboriginal adults and youth about abuse and addiction. Donna Gamble was raised in foster homes, addicted to drugs and caught up in prostitution by the age of 13. The camera unravels her exhilarating and tumultuous journey: her motivation to turn her life ar...

An intimate portrait of a fiercely determined survivor, Donna's Story profiles a Cree woman who left behind a bleak existence on the streets. She has re-emerged as a powerful voice counselling Aboriginal adults and youth about abuse and addiction. Donna Gamble was raised in foster homes, addicted to drugs and caught up in prostitution by the age of 13. The camera unravels her exhilarating and tumultuous journey: her motivation to turn her life around, her work to keep others off the streets and the renewal of personal relationships with her family and children. With courage and candour, Donna also reveals an ongoing struggle with addiction, exposing the rage and pain of abuse that can haunt even the strongest person.

Doug Cuthand's absorbing documentary also introduces Donna's mother and daughters. With extraordinary purpose, these women hope to shatter the cycle of addiction and abuse that has affected generations of their family

An intimate portrait of a fiercely determined survivor -- Donna, a Cree woman who left behind a bleak existence on the streets.

directed by John Howe; produced by John Howe and Maxine Samuels, fl. 1977, National Film Board of Canada (Montréal, QC: National Film Board of Canada, 1977), 28 mins

It had been a hard journey for immigrants Jan Laluckey and his family. But on arrival in Quebec, the New World, all their hopes for a new and better life were dampened when immigration officials refused to allow Kasia, Jan's daughter, to remain. During a routine medical examination it was found that Kasia had cont...

It had been a hard journey for immigrants Jan Laluckey and his family. But on arrival in Quebec, the New World, all their hopes for a new and better life were dampened when immigration officials refused to allow Kasia, Jan's daughter, to remain. During a routine medical examination it was found that Kasia had contracted an infectious eye disease. In the end she was separated from her family and sent back to Europe alone.

directed by Debbie McGee; produced by National Film Board of Canada (New York, NY: National Film Board of Canada, 1993), 1 hour 2 mins

Here is a realistic yet positive portrayal of four women with serious physical disabilities who have found meaningful love relationships. With candor, they each talk about the struggle for self esteem, the search for love, and the challenge of finding sexual expression. Helen, in a wheelchair because of a rare bon...

Here is a realistic yet positive portrayal of four women with serious physical disabilities who have found meaningful love relationships. With candor, they each talk about the struggle for self esteem, the search for love, and the challenge of finding sexual expression. Helen, in a wheelchair because of a rare bone disease, thought she might be too frail for a physical relationship. Her doctor assured her that she was perfectly able, and her rela...Here is a realistic yet positive portrayal of four women with serious physical disabilities who have found meaningful love relationships. With candor, they each talk about the struggle for self esteem, the search for love, and the challenge of finding sexual expression. Helen, in a wheelchair because of a rare bone disease, thought she might be too frail for a physical relationship. Her doctor assured her that she was perfectly able, and her relationship with her boyfriend blossomed. Gail, who has cerebral palsy, needed counseling to help her overcome her reserve. She now has developed a fulfilling relationship with Roger. Amethya, a lesbian who is severely hearing impaired, became active in a disabled women's network and met her lover there. Barbara, legally blind since birth, overcame the challenge of widowhood and single parenting to find another love. This important film challenges the stereotypical notion that women with disabilities are asexual beings. College Adult
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